Get your Museum Management Certificate

Museum management students at Fort Lewis measure along the wall and hang art in the Art Gallery.

The Museum Management Certificate is for students across fields interested in the career paths of museum or gallery management. You will develop the knowledge and experience needed to enter professions like curation, exhibition development, educational outreach, marketing, and administration at many types of cultural institutions.

The certificate helps you develop expertise in a particular area of specialization and build a portfolio of project work to support future job applications.

Uniting history, theory, and experiential learning, you will apply analytical, interpretive, and problem-solving skills to develop original research, think critically about theories and practices related to museum studies, and participate in hands-on projects.

Cheyenne Caraway

"The Museum Management curriculum provides an invaluable experience for anyone who wishes to pursue a career in the museum field. Students will find ready access to their onsite research facilities, affiliated professors, and amazing collections."

Cheyenne Caraway
Center of Southwest Studies intern, Art, Anthropology, ’15
  • Coursework & eligibility
  • Emphasis areas
  • Knowledge in action
Coursework & eligibility

This certificate is 15 credit hours: 3 core courses (9 credit hours) and 6 credit hours of electives students can tailor to their career objectives.

  • Both degree-seeking and unclassified students may be admitted to the certificate program.
  • Unclassified students must hold an undergraduate degree for admission.
  • A student may request course substitutions within a certificate program but require written approval of the Certificate Program Director, Art & Design Chair, and appropriate Associate Dean.
Emphasis areas

After completing this certificate program, students will be able to:

  • Demonstrate professional competencies in museum and gallery work, including museum administration, exhibition development and installation, education, community outreach, and collections management.
  • Apply analytical, interpretive, and problem-solving skills in developing original research and projects related to museum management.
  • Understand, evaluate, and apply various theories and practices (both historical and contemporary) related to museum studies.
  • Communicate (in both written and oral form) an understanding of museums as dynamic entities in dialogue with broader social and cultural discussions, including those concerning diversity, equity, inclusion, and repatriation.
Knowledge in action

As a part of your professional development, you have the option of completing an internship with one of our established internship partners, like the Center of Southwest Studies.

In addition to participating in the development of exhibitions that draw people from the broader community through FLC’s art gallery and the Center of Southwest Studies, students completing internships can serve various regional needs, including the display, promotion, and preservation of important cultural artifacts.

Your career path

Museum Management students at Fort Lewis College unroll a Native American textile in the Center of Southwest Studies.

This certificate promotes professional knowledge and provides training in various aspects of museum management, including business administration, exhibition development and installation, education, community outreach, park interpretation, and collections management. You will be prepared to seek roles as:

  • Arts Administrator
  • Curator
  • Museum Educator
  • Exhibit Designer
  • Registrar/Collections Manager
  • Preparator
  • Archivist

Contact

Dr. Cory Pillen, Director of Center of Southwest Studies / Associate Professor of Art History and Gender and Sexuality Studies
Email: cjpillen@fortlewis.edu